Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel

To begin with, Judaism never subscribed to the belief that God sires children of any sort. The biblical idea of “sonship,” or being a “child of God,” is only meant to depict a relational reality that makes Israel or humankind beloved and special to God.

Jewish tradition refers to God as “Avinu, Malkanu” meaning “our Father, our King,” because the metaphor describes the close relationship between Israel and God that is akin to how a father loves his son. As parents, we love our children because they are our children. A child may get in trouble from time to time, or may fall short of our ideal expectations; nevertheless we still love our children because they are a part of ourselves. In the same manner, God’s love for His people functions much the same way. This is precisely the point the prophets make, and Jesus himself stressed this concept in his wonderful parable concerning “The Prodigal Son.”[1] As the Father of humankind, God awaits our spiritual renewal and return unto Him.

From the Pentateuch itself, Israel is occasionally referred to as, “Israel, my son” or “Israel, my firstborn.” [2] In the other books of the Tanakh, sonship is mentioned with respect to God’s fatherhood of Israel [3].

Elsewhere in the Tanakh, sonship can be used with reference to King David and the kings of Israel [4] and sometimes angels are called “sons of God” (cf. Gen6:2; Job 1:6; Dan 3:25—but even this translation is dubious at best). But nowhere in the Tanakh is there a single reference to the thought that the Messiah is a “son of God.” Arguably, even if such an expression did exist, its meaning would be no different than any other scriptural reference suggesting the notion of closeness and belovedness. It is worth reiterating: Nowhere does the Tanakh even remotely suggest that Israel is God’s literal child; clearly sonship is only meant metaphorically.

Within the Talmud, there are some references to the notion of a “Son of God” with respect to its miracle workers[5], where the term refers to someone who is especially beloved to God, Who acts miraculously on behalf of the beloved. It is only in the world of post-biblical Judaism of the Dead Sea Scrolls where the idea of the “son of God” is applied specifically to the Messiah.[6]

Early Christianity, in its efforts to appeal to more pagan audience, decided to recast the idea of “sonship,” by borrowing mythological motifs from the Graeco-Roman, Egyptian, and Mesopotamian world where the gods frequently impregnate mortal women, e.g., Zeus “fathering,” and Hercules, and so on.

Unfortunately, the early Christian redactors of the NT as well as the Early Christian Fathers misunderstood what sonship originally meant in Judaism. They forgot that the Torah sees all of God’s people as His beloved children. Rather than looking to Jesus as a great example, they instead made him the great exception and in doing so, severed its roots from the pure monotheism of historic Judaism, which always taught that we do not worship God through intermediaries. The rest is commentary. I believe that Jesus himself never intended to imply that only he was “the son of God.” If anything, he taught that all people are beloved as God’s children, and that this is a basic truth we ought never to forget. Moreover, we need to treat all of God’s children accordingly, as we read about in the parable of the Last Judgment: (Matt. 25:35-40).

^For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me; when I was naked and you clothed me; when I was ill and you cared for me, when I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you? And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matt. 25:35-40).

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[1] The story of the Prodigal Son, also known as the Parable of the Lost Son, follows the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin. Jesus responds to the Pharisees’ criticism, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them,” by telling them a parable about a man who once has two sons. The younger son asks his father to give him his portion of the family estate as an early inheritance. Once received, the son promptly sets off on a long journey to a distant land and begins to waste his fortune on wild living. When the money runs out, a severe famine hits the country and the son finds himself in dire circumstances. He takes a job feeding pigs. He is so destitute that he even longs to eat the food assigned to the pigs.

The young man finally comes to his senses, remembering his father. In humility, he recognizes his foolishness, decides to return to his father and ask for forgiveness and mercy. The father who had been watching and waiting, receives his son back with open arms of compassion. He is overjoyed by the return of his lost son! Immediately the father turns to his servants and asks them to prepare a giant feast in celebration. However, the older son reacts negatively when after working in the fields, he discovers a party going on to celebrate his younger brother’s return. The father tries to dissuade the older brother from his jealous rage explaining, “You are always with me, and everything I have is yours.”

[2] Exod. 4:22; cf. Deut.14:1.

[3] 2 Sam. 7:4-17 Pss. 2:7; 89:26-27.

[4] Jer. 31:20; Hosea 11:1; Mal. 2:10.

[5] In the first century, “son of God,” was often used with respect to Honi the circle-drawer (B.T. Ta’anit 24b; T.B Berakhot 17b; T.B. Hullin 86a) and Ḥanina ben Dosa (Mishnah Ta’anit 3:8).

[6] According to 1QSa 2:1112, God is depicted as “begetting the Messiah,” and 4QpsDan Aa (=4Q246) is reported to read “he shall be hailed as the Son of God, and they shall call him Son of the most High.”